Quiet Confessions
by chocolatequeen
Summary: In a tiny room in a Sanctuary Base on an impossible planet, the Doctor and Rose comfort each other with soft kisses and quiet confessions. Part of As Time Goes By, follows Rule Breaking.


Another for the kiss/hug meme. 10- gentle kiss 13- jawline kiss 37- collarbone kiss

The Doctor was reaching for Rose before the door to their tiny quarters had shut behind Ida. The day had gone from bad to worse, starting with losing the TARDIS and then finding Scooti's body, floating towards the black hole. He bitterly regretted not turning around and leaving as soon as they'd landed, but they were stuck here now.

"I told you—stuck with you's not so bad," Rose told him, proving once again how well she knew him. She pressed a kiss over both his hearts, then stepped back and shrugged out of her red jacket. "Let's get changed and go to bed," she suggested as she unbuttoned her jeans.

The Doctor nodded and quickly stripped down to his pants and undershirt. He handed Rose his shirt, then folded his suit up and set it on the desk. When he turned back around, Rose had already laid down on the opposite side of the bed.

"Come on," she said, patting the empty side of the bed where she'd turned the covers down for him.

He laid down and pulled the duvet up to his chest, then reached for Rose. It didn't take much encouragement to get her to snuggle up beside him, with her hand splayed out over his chest. In the few short weeks that they'd shared a bed, holding Rose like this had become one of his favourite things. Today, he drew comfort from the familiar feel of her soft warmth wrapped around him.

His sigh moved the hair on her forehead, and Rose tilted her head back to brush a kiss along his jawline. "That's right, Doctor. We're okay, you and me."

The Doctor sighed again, and his hand tightened around her shoulder. He knew Rose could feel the sudden tension in his body, and he waited for her question.

"You're going down with Ida, aren't you?"

He nodded. "It's the best chance I've got of finding the TARDIS. Because despite what you say, I know you don't really want to be stuck here any more than I do."

Rose traced a pattern over his chest with her fingers, and the Doctor waited patiently—well, mostly patiently—for her to give voice to her new fears.

"Yeah, I'm not really keen on being here for the rest of my life," she admitted finally, "but I really don't want to be here without you. What if you go down there and something happens to you?"

The Doctor rolled them onto their sides, so they were stretched out on the bed facing each other. "Hear this now," he said firmly. "I will _always_ come for you."

Rose chuckled weakly. "Just don't get yourself kidnapped by the Dread Pirate Roberts."

The Doctor brushed her hair back from her forehead and kissed her temple. She didn't realise the significance of that spot, but when he kissed her here, he could almost feel her mind buzz against his.

"Even then, he came back," he reminded Rose quietly. "Do you remember why?"

He felt her breathing stutter. Her eyes were wide, and her lips were parted. _Say it,_ he pleaded with her as he reached out and laced his fingers through his, resting their joined hands between them.

"Because…" Rose licked her lips. "Because death cannot stop true love."

"It really can't, Rose," the Doctor told her. "I've died once since I met you, and…" He sighed loudly, knowing the words wouldn't come. Despite himself, he was still terrified the universe was going to reach out and snatch Rose away from him, and if he said the words out loud…

Rose could feel her heart racing. She knew the Doctor cared for her, obviously, but this was more than he'd ever admitted before. She searched his eyes and reached up to stroke his temple, a tiny shiver of pleasure running down her spine when he gasped at the contact.

His lips were slightly parted, and she couldn't resist his full bottom lip. She shifted forward and caught it between hers, sucking it gently before releasing it with a soft pop.

She studied him as his eyelids fluttered open. Maybe he didn't mean that quote the way it sounded like he did? "Doctor. Are you saying you… I mean…"

The Doctor nodded. "Can't seem to say it," he admitted in a low voice. He trailed his fingers along her arm before resting his hand in the curve of her waist. "But you know, don't you?"

Tears sprang to Rose's eyes, and she leaned forward to kiss the Doctor again. "Yeah. I know," she whispered against his lips.

One kiss led to another, and the Doctor's lips were trailing down her neck when something occurred to Rose. "Doctor?" He hummed against her collarbone but didn't look up, and Rose nearly forgot she wanted to tell him something when he scraped his teeth over the sensitive skin there.

But she did want to tell him, so she tapped his shoulder insistently. "Doctor."

He huffed and looked up at her with dark eyes. "Yes, Rose?"

Rose ran her hand through his hair. "You know that I…" She took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "You know I love you, too, right?"

The Doctor's eyes softened, and he leaned forward to press an unspeakably tender kiss to her lips. "Oh, Rose," he murmured. "I've known that for a long time now."

"Yeah?" she asked breathlessly.

"Oh, yes." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "I can't say I really understand it," he admitted. "You deserve so much better than me. But you seem determined to love me anyway, and I need you too much to chase you off."

"Good," Rose said fiercely. "Because no matter what happens, I'm never gonna leave you."

The Doctor grinned and swooped down to kiss her again. "Oh, I know," he said, his cheery mood a complete turnaround from his quiet introspection of a moment ago. "I don't believe in much, Rose Tyler, but I do believe in you."

A playful light entered his eyes. "Now, if that's all cleared up," he purred as he settled on top of her, "I believe I was in the middle of something."


End file.
